FEBRUARY 12

1911: Record executive Steve Sholes was born in Washington, D.C. Best known for bringing Elvis Presley to RCA in 1955, he also worked with the likes of Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold and Chet Atkins. He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967.

1925: Actor Lorne Greene was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He portrayed Ben Cartwright in the long-running western TV series Bonanza, which features a theme song by guitarist Joe Maphis. Greene also recorded “Ringo,” a western recitation.

1930: Bluegrass vocalist Harley “Red” Allen was born in Perry County, KY. He worked with the likes of Jimmy Martin and The Osborne Brothers, appearing on their bluegrass classic “Ruby, Are You Mad?“

1937: Jay Lee Webb was born in Butcher Holler, KY. The younger brother of Loretta Lynn, and older brother of Crystal Gayle, he charted three singles between 1967-1971.

1944: Moe Bandy was born in Meridian, MS. He thrived as a honky-tonk singer during the late-1970s and early-’80s with a string of hits dominated by cheatin’-themed singles and good-ol’-boy duets with Joe Stampley.

1953: Songwriter Taylor Rhodes was born. He played drums for The Earl Scruggs Revue for two years in the late-1970s before going on to write pop hits for Aerosmith and Celine Dion.

1962: Pianist and composer Billy Stritch was born in Houston, TX. A boyfriend and musical partner for Liza Minnelli, he wrote Reba McEntire’s 1993 duet with Linda Davis, “Does He Love You.”

1963: Buck Owens recorded “Act Naturally” at the Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood. The session also included his first attempt at “My Heart Skips A Beat.”

1974: Olivia Newton-John recorded “If You Love Me (Let Me Know).”

1980: RCA released Ray Stevens’ album “Shriner’s Convention.”

1983: Crystal Gayle attained a #1 single in Billboard with the Rodney Crowell song “‘Til I Can Gain Control Again.“

1993: Diamond Rio hit number one with their single, “In A Week or Two.”

1993: Toby Keith released “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”

1994: Travis Tritt became the host of VH1’s “Country Countdown.”

2005: Sammi Smith died in Oklahoma City. She was 61. Smith is perhaps best remembered for her hit rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night.”

2008: The Statler Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, and the late Pop Stoneman were named as the 2008 inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

2011: Dolly Parton was honored as a Grammy Lifetime Acheivement Award winner at a special event in Los Angeles.

2016: The Gaither Music Group released Joey+Rory’s gospel album “Hymns That Are Important To Us.”

2018: Daryle Singletary died at his home in Lebanon, TN. The rich-voiced traditional singer earned three hits in the mid-1990s: “I Let Her Lie,” “Too Much Fun” and “Amen Kind Of Love.”